Entry through the organiser
Entry details on the organiser’s site →
The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.
Running Monterey? Order your gels by 18 October to test them on two long runs. Get them on Amazon Amazon partner link
Back to your race planner
Monterey Bay Half Marathon
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2026 race
- Start
- 07:007:00 AM
- Distance
- 21.1 km13.1 mi
- Half marathon
- Time limit
- 3 h 30 min
The course
The organiser describes the half marathon as an out-and-back course from historic downtown Monterey, along Cannery Row and beside the Pacific Grove shoreline.
- Out and back along the shorelineOut and back from downtown Monterey, past Cannery Row.
- A 16 minute per mile limit and 9,000 places3.5 hours from the last wave; 9,000 entrants.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryOut and back along the shorelineOut and back from downtown Monterey, past Cannery Row.
The start is on Del Monte Avenue at 7:00 on Sunday 8 November 2026, released corral by corral one to three minutes apart.
Sourced
Whole courseTacticsA 16 minute per mile limit and 9,000 places3.5 hours from the last wave; 9,000 entrants.
Runners who cannot hold that pace may be turned around early or sent to an alternate course. General registration for the 2026 race sold out.
Sourced
Race weekend
Bib pickup at Monterey Conference Center, 1 Portola PlazaFriday 6 November Bib pickup
-
12:0012:00 PM–18:006:00 PM
Packet pickup and expo Monterey Conference Center, 1 Portola Plaza. Bib, participant shirt and gear check bag. The expo is free and open to the public.
Saturday 7 November Last bib day
-
08:008:00 AM
Official shakeout run Monterey Conference Center. Hosted by Fleet Feet. -
09:309:30 AM–18:006:00 PM
Packet pickup and expo Monterey Conference Center, 1 Portola Plaza
Bib in hand?A number belt holds it without pins through your race top. Clip it on tonight.
Number belt on AmazonAmazon partner link
Sunday 8 November Race day
-
05:005:00 AM–06:156:15 AM
Park and ride shuttles to the start Every 10 minutes from Monterey Peninsula College and Del Monte Center. Downtown garage parking requires arrival by 5:30. -
07:007:00 AM
Half marathon start Del Monte Avenue, downtown Monterey. Pulsed start by corral, one to three minutes apart. -
07:307:30 AM
Finish festival opens Custom House Plaza, Monterey State Historic Park -
08:308:30 AM–12:0012:00 PM
Return shuttles From Figueroa Street at the Recreation Trail to the two park and ride lots. -
10:0010:00 AM
Awards ceremony Custom House Plaza awards stage -
Time not published
Course time limit The course and finish line are open for a 3.5 hour finish pace, or 16 minutes per mile, counted from the final start wave. 3:30 limit: 9:57/km for 21.0975 km3:30 limit: 16:01/mi for 13.1 mi
Times as published by the organiser, in Monterey time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.
Add to calendar .ics file, times in Monterey time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
2 gels for Monterey, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, by the clock:
Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.
- km 7.3mile 4.6
- km 14.7mile 9.1
For your long training runs:
Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side. Enough for race day and two test long runs.
Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.
Order by 18 October to test them on two long runs first.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.
Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.
Anti-chafe
Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml
An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.
Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.
Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Number belt
Compressport Race Belt
Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.
Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.
Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Electrolytes
SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20
One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.
One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.
Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Blister plasters
Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6
One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.
Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.
Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Keep exploring
More races to look at after the Monterey Bay Half Marathon.
.jpg){kind=link}